"The Bachelorette" Recap: Desiree Surprisingly Gets Engaged to Chris

ABC/Francisco Roman(NEW YORK) — The season finale of ABC’s The Bachelorette on Monday night ended with a major surprise: Desiree Hartsock accepting a proposal from Chris Siegfried after sending home Drew Kenney.

It was unexpected, since Hartsock, a 27-year-old bridal stylist from Northglenn, Colo., had fallen hard for Brooks Forester, the man who abruptly rejected her in the first part of the finale last week. After experiencing that heartbreak, Hartsock declared she could not love the other finalists the way she loved Forester.

Obviously, Hartsock had a change of heart. Before Siegfried, a 27-year-old mortgage broker from Seattle, popped the question, she told him that she was so blindsided by her feelings for Forester that she couldn’t see what was right in front of her all along: a future with her now-fiancé.

Later, on the After the Final Rose special, Hartsock explained to host Chris Harrison that her emotional goodbye with Forester helped her put her relationships with the other men into perspective.

Hartsock revealed that she will move to Seattle to live with Siegfried. Afterward, Siegfried presented Hartsock with a framed poem that contained the roses she gave him during the rose ceremonies.

Siegfried had been the only finalist to meet Hartsock’s family, including her troublemaking brother, Nate. The get-together took place in the Caribbean island of Antigua, after the couple enjoyed a boat ride.

Earlier, Hartsock and Kenney, a 27-year-old digital marketing analyst from Scottsdale, Ariz., rode horses to the beach, then sat under a makeshift canopy of tree leaves. That’s where Hartsock confessed that she couldn’t commit 100 percent of her heart to him, leaving Kenney to wonder what went wrong.

Kenney seemed at peace with Hartsock’s decision on the After the Final Rose special, saying he was happy that she found what she was looking for as “The Bachelorette.”

Hartsock was also reunited with Forester on the After the Final Rose special. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as you’d expect, with Hartsock saying it was good that she was able to get closure with him before moving on to Siegfried.

The studio audience for the finale included the most recent “Bachelor,” Sean Lowe, and his fiancée, Catherine Giudici. Lowe said their wedding date could be announced soon.

Speaking of The Bachelor, it was announced on the After the Final Rose special that one of Hartsock’s suitors, 32-year-old single dad and former pro soccer player Juan Pablo Galavis, will succeed Lowe next season.

The Venezuelan will be the first non-Caucasian “Bachelor” in series history. Last year, ABC faced a class-action lawsuit brought by a group of Nashville, Tenn., residents who alleged the network’s Bachelor franchise discriminated against people of color. ABC ultimately prevailed.